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i'm so excited to tell you all that we finally had some gorgeous weather here and i got the "bella collage quilt" photographed!! yay!!!! i heart this quilt. it was such a fun one to whip up. it's all about the fabrics on this one. i'm a huge fan of lotta jansdotter's work and fell head over heels for her new line bella. i wanted something that was a great beginner quilt for all you fellow newbies but also something that let you have some wild fun with quilting if you were more experienced. you know me...i'm all about a bit of wild fun :P

one of my main goals for designing the bella collage quilt was to enable the sewer to use 6 yards of fabric fully with minimal cutting. i'm always looking for a way to use full yardage (i gotta thing for it) and i'll admit it...i suck at cutting. so if i can't get a pre-cut bundle i tend to lean towards yardage and fun quilting to add some flair. the finished size of this quilt is perfect for one adult. i'm all for that. i believe in selfish sewing these days and heck if my toes are warm and i'm all cozy and snuggled i'm happy. when the hubs is out and i need a warm me up i go straight to bella now. she keeps me nice and toasty.

i had the most fun with the layout of the quilting pattern for bella. from far away she looks unquilted but if you look close - bam....tetris baby! i wanted to highlight the outline of the blocks in the quilt front but also play up the 2 pieces on the back by splitting the pattern in half so to speak. it enables a new quilter to jump in and make something that looks complicated but is fairly straightforward. all straight lines (no curves). if you can sew straight lines you can make the bella collage quilt.

being a blogger i make collages a lot...and i mean a lot. so the idea came to me when i was trying to figure out how to preserve as much of my yardage as possible to just make a collage. i lurve it and it is going to be well loved by this momma in our little apartment. i've been snuggling up with it non stop since i finished hand sewing the binding on and it really brightens up my sofa (which is definitely not as nice, or clean, as my friends whose is pictured above).

we had a blast photographing the bella collage quilt. this is one of my fave places in victoria. a beautiful lookout bluff that has 3 bright colored anorak chairs perched atop it. when you sit there you feel as if you're floating in the air above the ocean. it's one of my fave places to go and just breathe. it reminds me how amazing this place is and how to not sweat the small stuff. i can tell you that i needed it that day. it ain't easy photographing quilts peeps. i freely admit i stressed with this one. i wanted some shots that i could look back at and enjoy that weren't just for tutorial purposes. something to document that moment and our little family. i'm thankful the hubs & even the kidlets helped me out! i adore the pics and i get relaxed and calm just looking at them. i think one of these bad boys is going in a frame cause i need all the help i can get these days to just remember "to breathe".

so come, grab your fave quilt and a thermos of coffee and join me on the bluff...let's chat...and dream away an hour or two atop the ocean......

i hope you all enjoy this quick and easy quilt as much as i did. sometimes it feels good to whip something up that makes you feel fabulous that you adore that doesn't take months and months to make. it was refreshing to just let my mind go and have some fun and just make what i felt like making and not worrying about how tricky or "new" it was. i just enjoyed the whole process and i hope you will too. so if you've been scared to try quilting now's the time to jump in. i promise i'll hold your hand if you need it and i'll be here cheering you on! you can do it...i know you can!

happy sewing from my home to yours! xoxoxo oh, and if you make one please upload some pics to our flickr group so we can all see your lovely quilts! i can't wait!

what do you think? do you think you'll make one? what fabric line are you crushing on that you would use? i can't wait to hear your thoughts!